{"id":4162,"date":"2017-01-30T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-31T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?p=4162"},"modified":"2020-08-02T06:45:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-02T13:45:05","slug":"write-insightful-interpretive-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/write-insightful-interpretive-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Write an Insightful Interpretive Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"

What\u2019s the first thing you think of when you hear the word \u201cinterpretive\u201d? For me, a couple things come to mind\u2014interpretive dance, language interpretation, and fortune telling.<\/p>\n

Hear me out on the last one for a second.<\/p>\n

Think about Professor Trelawney<\/a>\u2019s class\u2014what was one of the first things they did? Read tea leaves. Those young witches and wizards had to look at the tea leaves in a different way to interpret<\/i> what they meant.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s exactly what you\u2019ll be doing. No! Not reading tea leaves\u2014interpreting literature. I\u2019ll help you learn what an interpretive essay is and how to write one.<\/p>\n

What Is an Interpretive Essay?<\/h2>\n

Before we get into the how<\/i>, we have to figure out the what<\/i>. You can think of an interpretive essay the same way you think about a literary analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Like the name suggests, an interpretive essay is one in which you interpret<\/i> a piece of literature\u2014a book, essay, play, or poem. It doesn\u2019t have to be, and actually shouldn\u2019t be, about every element you can think of.<\/p>\n

Instead, choose one or two elements of the piece to focus on, unless you’re given a specific prompt (in which case, just follow the prompt). If you don\u2019t have a prompt, figuring out what to write about can be a little difficult.<\/p>\n

My suggestion is to find something that\u2019s interesting to you. The author\u2019s use of foreshadowing or metaphors, or a certain theme, setting, or character. Once you have this broad topic picked out, you can interpret it by breaking it down into pieces.<\/p>\n

If this still sounds a little too theoretical and not practical enough, don\u2019t worry. We\u2019re just getting warmed up.<\/p>\n

How Not<\/i> to Write Your Interpretive Essay<\/h2>\n

Before we get into how to write your interpretive essay, it\u2019s important to know what not to do from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t write a summary<\/a><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re working on an interpretive essay where you’re describing what Professor Trelawney\u2019s impact is in Harry Potter<\/i>, for example, you wouldn\u2019t just tell your reader what Trelawney is like.<\/p>\n

Describing her profession, visions, or personality is way too surface-level. You need to dig deeper and make connections as to why her visions are important.<\/p>\n

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Writing an interpretive essay? Don’t just summarize. Dig deeper and make connections to the why.<\/a><\/div>\n

Click To Tweet<\/a><\/p>\n

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Go big, go small, or go home<\/h3>\n

While most interpretive essays focus on the smaller aspects of a piece of literature, some students choose to focus on the broader meaning of the work as a whole. Keep in mind, though, that you should do one or the other, not both.<\/p>\n

Writing about the big picture and<\/i> small parts can make your work seem too jumbled. So pick one, and stick to it.<\/p>\n

For ideas on what elements to look out for\u2014big or small\u2014check out this super-helpful list of various elements of literature<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What an Insightful Interpretive Essay Must Have<\/h2>\n

Now that you have a couple things to look out for as you write your interpretive essay, it\u2019s time to talk about what you should<\/i> do.<\/p>\n

1. A thoughtful thesis<\/h3>\n

Like any essay you write for class, you\u2019re going to want a thesis statement<\/a> for your interpretive essay.<\/p>\n

A thesis usually consists of one, sometimes two sentences that tell the reader what you\u2019re going to write about. It clearly states your viewpoint and offers a summary of your supporting reasons for that viewpoint.<\/p>\n

If I were to write my entire interpretive essay on the role of Professor Trelawney in Harry Potter<\/i>, my thesis statement might look like this:<\/p>\n

Though Professor Sybil Trelawney does not have many visions during her tenure at Hogwarts, the one she does have is crucial to the plot of the entire Harry Potter <\/i>series. Her prophecy lets Dumbledore know how important Harry is to the fate of the wizarding world and allows Harry to find out what he must do to defeat Voldemort.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As you can see, this thesis statement describes what I’m interpreting\u2014Trelawny\u2019s importance to the plot\u2014and offers the supporting points that I’ll be discussing in the body paragraphs.<\/p>\n\t

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Stuck on Your Analytical Essay?<\/div>\n\t\t\t
Check Out These Example Analytical Essays<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYes! Show me examples.<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

2. Balance<\/h3>\n

Speaking of the body paragraphs, you want to make sure they all balance out. In fact, you want to make sure your whole essay<\/i> balances out.<\/p>\n

What I mean by this is that you should have a brief introduction that introduces what you\u2019re going to write about, followed by body paragraphs of similar lengths, then a brief conclusion that nicely wraps it all up.<\/p>\n

In my interpretive essay, my first body paragraph or section would discuss how Trelawney\u2019s prophecy showed Dumbledore how important Harry is to the fate of the wizarding world, as well as the repercussions of this knowledge. This would include Dumbledore\u2019s protection of Harry throughout the years.<\/p>\n

The second section would discuss how the prophecy showed Harry how to defeat Voldemort and the responsibility that comes with that knowledge. \u201cNeither can live while the other survives\u201d means one has to die, which is pretty heavy stuff for a teenager to deal with.<\/p>\n

Both sections should be roughly the same length (no need to count words exactly, just don\u2019t make one super short and the other super long).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to note that you do not need to follow a five-paragraph structure<\/a> unless instructed to do so. That\u2019s why I refer to these as “sections.” Each section can be one or several paragraphs, depending on the flow.<\/p>\n

3. Support<\/h3>\n

In essay-writing, you\u2019re opinion is no good unless you can back it up.<\/p>\n

How do you do that?<\/p>\n

You use support from the text and outside sources<\/a>. Supporting your argument gives you credibility and lets the reader not only know you understand the text, but also helps them understand it better too.<\/p>\n

If you use support from an outside source, make sure it\u2019s credible<\/a> and not some meme you saw on Facebook. And always, ALWAYS cite your sources. If the idea isn\u2019t yours, you have to give credit to the original source\u2014even if you\u2019re not quoting directly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For my first body section, my support would include three points:<\/p>\n